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Photographed by Jason Grow
Hero: Hoip "Ali" Swaby
Read the full story: Man Saves Co-Workers in Excavation Tunnel
Vote for Hoip "Ali" Swaby as the Hero of the Year
I'm dead, thought Hoip "Ali" Swaby. Moments before, a whoosh of air and a hail of rocks had brought a roar of water into the excavation tunnel where Swaby and two fellow sandhogs were working ten stories below the streets of Fall River, Massachusetts. As the water quickly rose, a crane operator on the surface heard cries for help and lowered a "man cage" to the workers trapped in the shaft. Swaby clambered inside, but when the basket reached the surface, he yelled for a flashlight and demanded to be lowered back down. With 10,000 gallons of frigid water filling the hole each minute, his coworkers were now clinging desperately to the rock walls. Once back below, Swaby used his flashlight as a beacon and scooped his friends inside the cage.
Read the full story: Man Saves Co-Workers in Excavation Tunnel
Vote for Hoip "Ali" Swaby as the Hero of the Year
I'm dead, thought Hoip "Ali" Swaby. Moments before, a whoosh of air and a hail of rocks had brought a roar of water into the excavation tunnel where Swaby and two fellow sandhogs were working ten stories below the streets of Fall River, Massachusetts. As the water quickly rose, a crane operator on the surface heard cries for help and lowered a "man cage" to the workers trapped in the shaft. Swaby clambered inside, but when the basket reached the surface, he yelled for a flashlight and demanded to be lowered back down. With 10,000 gallons of frigid water filling the hole each minute, his coworkers were now clinging desperately to the rock walls. Once back below, Swaby used his flashlight as a beacon and scooped his friends inside the cage.
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Heroes: Marc Ellison and Mickey Horak
Read the full story: Cliff-Side Rescue of a 3-Year-Old Girl
Vote for Marc Ellison and Mickey Horak as the Heroes of the Year
Part-time ranger Marc Ellison was leading visitors on a tour of the Timpanogos Cave National Monument, south of Salt Lake City, when a fellow ranger shouted that a child had fallen down a cliff 1,000 feet above the American Fork River. Three-year-old Paulina Filippova was hiking with her Russian immigrant family when she strayed from the path and slipped over the side. Mickey Horak made his way 60 feet down to when Paulina clung to a tree root. Ranger Ellison climbed down a rocky slope until he reached the pair. Horak was able to ease the bleeding child into Ellison's arms, and together the three inched upward to the safety of a narrow ledge and waited for search-and-rescue teams to arrive.
Read the full story: Cliff-Side Rescue of a 3-Year-Old Girl
Vote for Marc Ellison and Mickey Horak as the Heroes of the Year
Part-time ranger Marc Ellison was leading visitors on a tour of the Timpanogos Cave National Monument, south of Salt Lake City, when a fellow ranger shouted that a child had fallen down a cliff 1,000 feet above the American Fork River. Three-year-old Paulina Filippova was hiking with her Russian immigrant family when she strayed from the path and slipped over the side. Mickey Horak made his way 60 feet down to when Paulina clung to a tree root. Ranger Ellison climbed down a rocky slope until he reached the pair. Horak was able to ease the bleeding child into Ellison's arms, and together the three inched upward to the safety of a narrow ledge and waited for search-and-rescue teams to arrive.
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Heroes: Lt. Col. Greg Gadson
Read the full story:A Lieutenant Colonel Injured in Iraq Motivates the Giants
Vote for Lt. Col. Greg Gadson as Hero of the Year
Early in the 2007 NFL season the New York Giants team had already lost their first two games. That's when Giants wide receivers coach Mike Sullivan learned that former West Point classmate Lt. Col. Greg Gadson was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Gadson was recovering from a devastating injury he'd received from a roadside bomb in Baghdad. As the two men rekindled a 20-year friendship, Sullivan marveled at Gadson's optimism and lack of self-pity. If a double amputee could show such spirit, perhaps he could instill it in a losing Giants team. The night before the Redskins game, Gadson spoke to a hushed locker room and received a standing ovation. The Giants battled back to eventually beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Read the full story:A Lieutenant Colonel Injured in Iraq Motivates the Giants
Vote for Lt. Col. Greg Gadson as Hero of the Year
Early in the 2007 NFL season the New York Giants team had already lost their first two games. That's when Giants wide receivers coach Mike Sullivan learned that former West Point classmate Lt. Col. Greg Gadson was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Gadson was recovering from a devastating injury he'd received from a roadside bomb in Baghdad. As the two men rekindled a 20-year friendship, Sullivan marveled at Gadson's optimism and lack of self-pity. If a double amputee could show such spirit, perhaps he could instill it in a losing Giants team. The night before the Redskins game, Gadson spoke to a hushed locker room and received a standing ovation. The Giants battled back to eventually beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
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Hero: Chris Howard
Read the full story:Man Leaps to Stop Runaway Truck
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Chris Howard was driving home from work one evening when he found himself facing an 18-wheel lumber truck coming his way on the wrong side of a four-lane highway outside St. Helens, Oregon. Even more frightening was that nine-year-old Matty Lovo was at the wheel-he'd grabbed control after his father passed out. Howard caught up with the truck, leaped onto the running board, and managed to open the cab door and hit the brake pedal, halting the 50-ton rig and saving both father and son. "My heart was racing," Howard says. "But there was no time to be scared."
Read the full story:Man Leaps to Stop Runaway Truck
Vote for Chris Howard as Hero of the Year
Chris Howard was driving home from work one evening when he found himself facing an 18-wheel lumber truck coming his way on the wrong side of a four-lane highway outside St. Helens, Oregon. Even more frightening was that nine-year-old Matty Lovo was at the wheel-he'd grabbed control after his father passed out. Howard caught up with the truck, leaped onto the running board, and managed to open the cab door and hit the brake pedal, halting the 50-ton rig and saving both father and son. "My heart was racing," Howard says. "But there was no time to be scared."
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Photographed by Jeffery A. Salter/REDUX
Hero: Louise Zoller
Read the full story: Mom Wrestles Gun Away From Man Outside Daycare Center
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The man with the gun stood outside the Cape Coral, Florida, day-care center while terrified children huddled inside. Louise Zoller had arrived moments earlier with her 11-year-old daughter, Morgan, intending to pick up her two-year-old, Hannah. "Where is she?" the man muttered as he entered the building; he then fired one shot at Hannah's teacher. Zoller grabbed the man's arm, but he pushed her away and fired again. She somehow muscled him into a hallway and knocked the gun from his hand, then snatched it up and ran outside to arriving police officers. No children were harmed, but Hannah's teacher was dead, killed by her estranged husband. "I was just being a mom," Zoller says.
Read the full story: Mom Wrestles Gun Away From Man Outside Daycare Center
Vote for Louise Zoller as Hero of the Year
The man with the gun stood outside the Cape Coral, Florida, day-care center while terrified children huddled inside. Louise Zoller had arrived moments earlier with her 11-year-old daughter, Morgan, intending to pick up her two-year-old, Hannah. "Where is she?" the man muttered as he entered the building; he then fired one shot at Hannah's teacher. Zoller grabbed the man's arm, but he pushed her away and fired again. She somehow muscled him into a hallway and knocked the gun from his hand, then snatched it up and ran outside to arriving police officers. No children were harmed, but Hannah's teacher was dead, killed by her estranged husband. "I was just being a mom," Zoller says.
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Photopgrahed by Jason Grow
Heroes: Drew Nalewanski, Daniel Moreno and Brian Stanley
Read the full story: Students Alert Others to Hotel Fire
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The time was after 4 a.m. and spring break partyers Daniel Moreno and Brian Stanley were drifting off to sleep in the room they shared at the Best Western Playa Suites in Acapulco, Mexico. Suddenly they heard the crash of breaking glass and jumped up to see smoke pouring from the windows of the hotel's adjoining tower. Rushing into the hallway, they shouted, "Westfield! Fire!" and banged on every door. Stanley was joined by fellow Westfield State College (Massachusetts) classmate Drew Nalewanski in the lobby, and the two charged back into the building to alert sleeping students. No one was seriously hurt.
Read the full story: Students Alert Others to Hotel Fire
Vote for Daniel Moreno and Brian Stanley as Heroes of the Year
The time was after 4 a.m. and spring break partyers Daniel Moreno and Brian Stanley were drifting off to sleep in the room they shared at the Best Western Playa Suites in Acapulco, Mexico. Suddenly they heard the crash of breaking glass and jumped up to see smoke pouring from the windows of the hotel's adjoining tower. Rushing into the hallway, they shouted, "Westfield! Fire!" and banged on every door. Stanley was joined by fellow Westfield State College (Massachusetts) classmate Drew Nalewanski in the lobby, and the two charged back into the building to alert sleeping students. No one was seriously hurt.
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Photographed by Allison V. Smith
Hero: Cody Phillips
Read the full story: Teenager Saves 4-Year-Old From Dog Attack
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Cody Phillips never paid attention to the dogs next door. But the Saturday afternoon something about the noise was different. When they went to investigate, they were horrified to see a pit bull and a Shar-Pei mauling a four-year-old neighborhood boy named Zackery Miller. Without thinking twice, Cody, a five-nine former football player, vaulted the chain-link fence and charged the snarling dogs. Momentarily startled, they let go but soon circled around for another attack. The high school junior threw himself on top of the bleeding boy and covered him with his body. By now, Cody's stepdad had heard the cries and howls and grabbed a board. He fended off the dogs until the boys could escape.
Read the full story: Teenager Saves 4-Year-Old From Dog Attack
Vote for Cody Phillips as Hero of the Year
Cody Phillips never paid attention to the dogs next door. But the Saturday afternoon something about the noise was different. When they went to investigate, they were horrified to see a pit bull and a Shar-Pei mauling a four-year-old neighborhood boy named Zackery Miller. Without thinking twice, Cody, a five-nine former football player, vaulted the chain-link fence and charged the snarling dogs. Momentarily startled, they let go but soon circled around for another attack. The high school junior threw himself on top of the bleeding boy and covered him with his body. By now, Cody's stepdad had heard the cries and howls and grabbed a board. He fended off the dogs until the boys could escape.
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Photographed by Danny Wilcox Frazier/REDUX,
Hero: Steve McGuire
Read the full story: The River Rescuer
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Michelle Kehoe was lucky the night her car skidded off the road and into the Iowa River. For crossing Iowa City's Park Road bridge at that same moment was Steve McGuire, a man who knows something about river rescues. In 1993, McGuire saved a college student who fell into a river. Ten years later, McGuire saved an elderly fisherman. This time he dived in and hauled the mother of two through the water until they reached the embankment.
Update: The Buchanan County Attorney says Michelle Kehoe was arrested on November 15th and charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. She's accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, and injuring her 7-year-old son, Sean, on October 26th, 2008 in a remote area near Littleton in Northeast Iowa.
Read the full story: The River Rescuer
Vote for Steve McGuire as Hero of the Year
Michelle Kehoe was lucky the night her car skidded off the road and into the Iowa River. For crossing Iowa City's Park Road bridge at that same moment was Steve McGuire, a man who knows something about river rescues. In 1993, McGuire saved a college student who fell into a river. Ten years later, McGuire saved an elderly fisherman. This time he dived in and hauled the mother of two through the water until they reached the embankment.
Update: The Buchanan County Attorney says Michelle Kehoe was arrested on November 15th and charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. She's accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, and injuring her 7-year-old son, Sean, on October 26th, 2008 in a remote area near Littleton in Northeast Iowa.
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Photographed by Tim Tadder
Hero: Jim Grant
Read the full story:Man Saves People From Burning Apartment
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"You have to go right now!" That's what Jim Grant recalls shouting through the heat and smoke. Only a few minutes before, he'd been driving to work in San Diego when he passed a burning three-story apartment building. He dialed 911, then pulled a U-turn and went back to see if he could help. With no police or firefighters on the scene yet, Grant ran into the building and checked apartments along an 80-foot corridor. When he kicked in the door of No. 87, the contractor discovered a startled woman in a motorized wheelchair holding an infant. With them was a ten-year-old boy. In all, Grant made three trips carrying them out of the building, the last with police officer Caleb Knobel, who helped drag the disabled and disoriented woman to safety.
Read the full story:Man Saves People From Burning Apartment
Vote for Jim Grant as Hero of the Year
"You have to go right now!" That's what Jim Grant recalls shouting through the heat and smoke. Only a few minutes before, he'd been driving to work in San Diego when he passed a burning three-story apartment building. He dialed 911, then pulled a U-turn and went back to see if he could help. With no police or firefighters on the scene yet, Grant ran into the building and checked apartments along an 80-foot corridor. When he kicked in the door of No. 87, the contractor discovered a startled woman in a motorized wheelchair holding an infant. With them was a ten-year-old boy. In all, Grant made three trips carrying them out of the building, the last with police officer Caleb Knobel, who helped drag the disabled and disoriented woman to safety.
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Photographed by Rudy Archuleta/Redux
Hero: Ismael "Mel" Feneque
Read the full article:Stranger Saves a Woman Who Fainted Onto Subway Tracks
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Lisa Donath was running late the morning she hurried toward her subway stop in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. Having donated blood the night before, she was feeling faint by the time she reached the underground platform. Forty feet away, Ismael "Mel" Feneque heard someone yell, "Oh, my God, she fell in!" Feneque, a garment worker, leaped down onto the tracks just as a train was coming into view. He lifted the unconscious woman so that other bystanders could drag her away from the edge. Feneque hoisted himself onto the platform just seconds before the train barreled into the station. Why did he help? "All I know is I was there, and I'd do it again."
Read the full article:Stranger Saves a Woman Who Fainted Onto Subway Tracks
Vote for Ismael "Mel" Feneque as Hero of the Year
Lisa Donath was running late the morning she hurried toward her subway stop in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. Having donated blood the night before, she was feeling faint by the time she reached the underground platform. Forty feet away, Ismael "Mel" Feneque heard someone yell, "Oh, my God, she fell in!" Feneque, a garment worker, leaped down onto the tracks just as a train was coming into view. He lifted the unconscious woman so that other bystanders could drag her away from the edge. Feneque hoisted himself onto the platform just seconds before the train barreled into the station. Why did he help? "All I know is I was there, and I'd do it again."
As the mom of a United States Marine I could not be prouder of people like Lt Col. Gadson and my son defending my freedom. From the bottom of my heart thank you for all your sacrafices. Maria Proud Mom of a United States Marine
All of the heros truly are the definition of the word but Cody inspired me the most. Today all you hear about most teenagers are bad things, though I know there are many good kids out there.Many of the teens In my neighborhood are troublemakers and wouldn't even think about someone else, much less a small child.If more of them were like Cody we wouldn't have nearly as many problems as we do today.
(Teenager saves boy from dogs attacking) Cody you give America hope for the future. So many teenagers get such a bad wrap you are a Hero in many ways! Thank you for stepping up and saving that boys life!
Wow! How do you choose one of these individuals over another? Every one of these stories moved me. I could only hope to show such bravery in similiar circumstances
Your capsule caption calls the man "crazed". He wasn't. He was angry and bitter and apparently did a truly evil thing but he was not "crazed".
Each and every one of these people is a hero for their entire life time as far as I am concerned. I don't know how to choose one, they all deserve great rewards.
LTC Gadson is one my heros because I served with him. He stood up for his principles of justice and compassion. So much so, that at one point, his life was hanging off the edge. He is part of the reason why the surge in Iraq worked, he stood up to the bullies, and had a heart of compassion for the Iraqi people. He had the respect of all his Soldiers. We would have followed him anyway. Chaplain (CPT) Troy Parson
Ali has my vote as number one hero. He was safe. He knew all the risks of returning for his co-workers but he went anyway. He is an awesome man of courage.